The Hanoi government issued a decree forcing technology firms to store user data in Vietnam as well as set up offices in this country. This is the latest measure of the Vietnamese government to tighten regulations on cyber security.
Reuters reported on August 18, citing a new decree issued on August 15. Accordingly, the companies that manage social networks such as Google, Facebook, and media companies are subject to the new regulations that will take effect from October 1.
Decree 53/2022/ND-CP clearly states that data must be stored in Vietnam, including personal information of service users in Vietnam; data created by service users in Vietnam (service account name, usage time, credit card information, email address, last login/logout network address, the registered phone number associated with the account or data); data on the relationship of service users in Vietnam: friends, groups with which the user connects or interacts.
Authorities have the right to issue data collection requests for investigation and request service providers to remove content that violates government guidelines and policies.
Foreign firms have 12 months to set up local data repositories and representative offices after receiving instructions from the Ministry of Public Security. User data must be kept in Vietnam for at least 24 months.
Reuters has contacted Google and Facebook to ask about the new decree issued as just mentioned but has not received a response.
The Hanoi government under the comprehensive leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam continues to maintain strict censorship measures for the media and maximum intolerance of the opposition. In the past few years, regulations on the global Internet have been tightened, culminating in the Law on Cybersecurity that took effect in early 2019, and then the code of conduct on social networks was issued in June.
Thoibao.de (Translated)
